States / New York
New York
81%
Population of State Living in Coastal Areas
$566 Billion
Coastal Employment
Annual Wages
26
Climate and Weather Disasters
(Affecting New York 2010 to 2018)*
Coastal Demographics
Of the total population of approximately 19.7 million in New York, almost 16 million people live in coastal portions of the state.
Coastal Economy
Coastal New York employs approximately 7.5 million people annually, earning a total of over $566 billion. This equates to over $1.4 trillion in gross domestic product.
Natural Hazards
Five billion-dollar weather disasters affected New York in 2018—and a total of 26 affected the state between 2010 and 2018. In 2018 alone, multiple severe storms, dozens of tornadoes, and two powerful Nor’easters caused several billion dollars’ worth of damage to states along the east coast. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy—costing affected states over $72 billion, with New York and New Jersey seeing the largest extent of damages—caused the New York Stock Exchange to close for two consecutive business days, which last happened in 1888 due to a major winter storm.*

Sources:
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (NOAA Data)
*Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (NOAA Website)
(All economic and demographic facts represent the latest data available [2015] and are regularly updated as new data become available)
Making a Difference
in New York
Blue Plan Maximizes Coastal Coordination, Minimizes Conflict
The Takeaway: This inventory of the natural resources and uses of the Long Island Sound represents a guide for the future.
Learn MoreCitizen Scientists Catch Eels—and Valuable Data
The Takeaway: Over 700 people participate in this catch, count, and release effort. Data collected helps further our understanding of habitat losses or gains, shifts in the food web, and other ecosystem changes.
Learn MoreEnvironmental Educators Tailor Lessons to Diverse Student Needs
The Takeaway: Students of the coast love to learn when educators reach them where they are—whether that’s online, in the field, or through the wisdom of their own culture and stewardship traditions.
Learn MoreEstuary Education Goes Virtual
The Takeaway: NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System provides online tours, activity books, and more to teachers and students.
Learn MoreFirst-Ever National Marsh Assessment Tool
The Takeaway: Research reserves determine methodology for calculating sea level rise impact on the marsh and test it in 16 locations. Methodology standardizes the effort and creates a national approach.
Learn MoreGrant Helps Turn Rochester Lot into Great Lakes Tourism Destination
The Takeaway: A new marina bringing hundreds of new jobs and millions into the local economy was made possible by a grant and technical assistance from the New York Coastal Zone Management Program.
Learn MoreGreat Lakes Shoreline Is Deteriorating—and NOAA Is Hard at Work on Restoration
The Takeaway: This shoreline report, co-authored by a Digital Coast scientist, makes plain the critical importance of NOAA’s nature-based restoration projects in the Great Lakes region.
Learn MoreHudson and Harbor Day Offers Hands-On Estuary Education
The Takeaway: Thousands of students equipped with waterproof waders and chemistry kits, sketch pads, and data sheets record estuary wonders with the help of New York’s Hudson River Research Reserve.
Learn MoreLifesaving Beach Initiative Reaches More than a Million
The Takeaway: NOAA and Wisconsin's coastal program deliver life jackets and a social media campaign.
Learn MoreNOAA Blue Carbon Enterprises Lessen Climate Change Damage
The Takeaway: Coastal wetlands research, restoration, tools, data, workshops, and partners—NOAA brings every blue carbon asset to the fight against climate-change-related hazards and harm.
Learn MoreNOAA Funding Benefits Massive Flood-Control Initiative
The Takeaway: A NOAA grant was used to assess natural infrastructure performance after Hurricane Sandy. Also developed: a web-based tool used to analyze natural infrastructure investments and identify parcels likely to provide the most benefits.
Learn MoreNative Americans Play Critical Roles in Many NOAA Projects
The Takeaway: We take a look at the great things that can happen when NOAA and Indigenous communities work together on coastal issues.
Learn MoreStudy Shows Public Willingness to Invest in Restoration
The Takeaway: New York City households willing to pay 3.3 times more for nature-based approaches.
Learn MoreSuperstorm Sandy NOAA Disaster Relief Appropriations
The Takeaway: The $2.4 million award emphasized partnerships and region-based, multifaceted solutions. The projects, many focused on natural infrastructure, frequently led to changes to local and state ordinances.
Learn MoreTool Reduces Ocean Conflicts
The Takeaway: Offering a cohesive approach to offshore management, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan aids industries connected to offshore energy, tourism, undersea cables, and marine traffic.
Learn MoreWatershed Management Plan Protects Economy and Ecology
The Takeaway: Steps to improve watershed health help safeguard area’s tourism and recreation sector.
Learn More